myfinalcoffinx

Past sales are excellent, except that the insurance company insists that they aren't legitimate sales unless they can see a bill of sale on the car, which is preposterous. By bidding on ebay, you are entering a binding contract to pay a specified amount to the seller, and that is indeed the sale price.

The only part I'm concerned with about having an attorney, is as soon as I notify them that I have an attorney working on my behalf, they won't talk to me any more, and will only have their attorney talk to my attorney, and by that start racking up the attorney fees. I'm going to see what I can do, drag this out, and then if I'm still not satifsfied, get the lawyer on it. Also, do you guys know what the laws are on rentals? They are claiming that the rental expires on Friday, I'm not satisfied with the settlement at this point, and I will have no transportation if they take the rental. Am I entitled to recieve the rental until the claim is settled, or are they correct about this?

As it stands now, I currently pay the attorney a small fee for legal advice, not to represent me to the insurance company. If I want him to represent me, I will have to pay him his hourly rate which is like way out of my price range, so I'm dealing with what I have. If it comes down to it, I'll get him in there, but I'd like to see what I can do on my own and see if I can save some cash.

Brand new hatch, rear and front bumper, grille, fenders, two doors, pretty much all of the panels on the outside and redid all of the upholstery on the inside as well as replacing the carpets, and many of the interior panels. A ton of mechanical work and brand new paint when I got it, and new paint up front (hood, and both fenders) just a few months ago.

Yo, I'm already on both of those guys... hopefully I get a response from either one, or hopefully both! When I bought my car, I paid $650 for it, but it wasn't running and had some body damage. I realize now that I got taken big time, but I was 16, and I was so excited that I had to have her. I could probably now find one just like she used to be for $150 or so, but I fixed her up, worked out all the bugs, she transformed into a beautiful car, and for that, I want compensation.

Andy, You've been such a great help on this, and I'd like to respond to everything you had to say! (However for the sake of space, and conserving bandwidth, I'll exclude the quotes...) I'm going to insist that Brats are relevant because it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a wagon that was in as great of shape as mine, and the closest comparison would be to a Brat. And plus, the model is GL on both, one just happens to be a wagon, the other a Brat. With regards to the different markets, I've got that under control. As an Economics major, business minor, I will explain to them that I am familiar with methods of comparison between markets, and that they must accept it, whether at face value or at a deflated value. Either way, it will be better than $400. I'm "only" 19, but I'm a feisty. I'll take them as far as I have to, and be as firm as necessary. I'm very familiar with methods of depreciation, and comparison between markets, so there's no problem there, it’s mostly with my sales skills, but we'll talk about that in a few. I'm looking for as many as possible, and I'm going to talk to as many people as I have to in order to find them. One problem is that they are insisting that I can only use bills of sale as documentation of proof of purchase value, (which is funny because that's not what they based their value of the car on...) I will call Aaron's tomorrow, just to see what they have to say. I'll also look into getting it appraised by a pro. Would you recommend an internet appraisal or an "in person" one? I don't know where to go for either! I'll be examining that site tomorrow afternoon! Thanks! Not only will I say that I'm contacting the commissioner, I will actually be doing so. As far as which company it is, it is USAA. When I got into the pissing contest with the lady this morning about the value of my car, I insisted that it is worth more than that, and she told me that I have to take it up with "my carrier" which just so happens to be them, so they now have all the power, instead of just most. It's unfortunate that we had to have the same insurance provider, if we didn't I'd have someplace to turn for help in battling them, but since it's the same company, I get nothing. I'll do the craigslist bit, I'm currently in the process of contacting ebay users I'll be calling as many lots as I can, and having them fax it all over. If you (or anyone else who reads this) happen to come across anything, please don't hesitate to email me, kevinkrotzer@comcast.net or fax me any info 253-862-1376 ATTN: Kevin Krotzer. Now about the talking portion, this morning the lady called my house, my mom answered and three-wayed me in to talk to this lady. Before even saying hello, or introducing herself, she notified me that the car was a complete loss, and I disagreed calmly. She immediately got a little bit antsy, and asked why, and I told her that I have found plenty of sales that say otherwise. She got sorta angry and told me that that is what they are willing to pay, and I told her, well then I'll see you in litigation. She cut me off, and started talking, and I told her that I wasn't done talking, and insisted that she not interrupt me, at which time she interrupted me from saying "interrupt me." We sorta got in a "shouting match" (very uncivilized, I know, but really this lady wasn't human anyway.) After that I asked where she got her numbers, and she told me from a dealership. I asked how they were calculated, and she told me, which I sorta explained earlier, I told her that they weren't acceptable figures, and don't stand up legally. She said that they do, and that they won't pay more than that amount. I was literally shaking about now, mind you, I was standing immediately outside the door of my corporate tax class, and I got so angry with her interrupting and lowballing that I bellowed "NOW LISTEN HERE B**CH..." and continued talking, at which time she interrupted again, and notified me that the conversation was over, and hung up. No excuses, it was inappropriate I know, but it was tough to maintain composure when you hear them criticizing your baby like that and trying to rape you out of what is rightfully yours. So I guess what the point of that last bit was that I'm having trouble keeping calm, and decent in this whole process, so we'll see how all of this turns out tomorrow... Now after that long-winded response, my fingers are kinda tired, and I think I'm going to head off to do some studying. Thanks for all your help! -Kevin

I'm going to wait it out for sure. The claims dept is insisting that now that they have made their offer, I have three days to turn in my rental, I'm pretty sure that this isn't the case. True? From what I've gathered, I'm not required to return the rental until the claim is settled right? Would you recommend a letter or an email to the insurance commissioner?

I'm currently trying to contact the guy, I'm hoping he responds! Thanks for the lead!

Thanks for your backup! I've sorta looked into the classic car appraisal aspect, however I doubt it will do anything, as the company insists that it will only accept sales of Subarus as proof of their value. My only question is, where are you going to find a Subie that was in that great of shape, much less find one that has sold recently. Anyway, one other thing I find funny is that their "estimate" of how much the car was worth was made by calling ONE (count' em, ONEEEEE) dealership in Seattle and asking how much they theoretically would pay for a 1982 Subaru GL. This is funny because I couldn't replace my car for this theoretical amount, all their number means is how much a dealership would pay for it. So I guess what I'm saying is why is alright for them to deal in hypotheticals, however I have to prove my case using bills of sale? Anyway, here's a link to my photos in case anyone cares: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=11716 Thanks, and sorry for ranting...

As you may remember, I was recently involved in a collision that seriously damaged the rear of my subie. The insurance company is trying to settle the claim at $400. This is for a perfect, pristine GL brand new paint, the works. Anyway, what I would really appreciate from you guys, are copies of your bills of sale from recent sales of early 80's subies (gl's, brats, coupes, anything, preferable over $1000, but anything over $400 will help.) This is the only thing that the insurance company will accept as proof for market value. I know this is kinda personal, and I sympathize with that, however I'm getting kinda desperate, and I don't really want to be taken advantage of by the insurance company. If you feel comfortable and are willing to help, please PM or email me at kevinkrotzer@comcast.net with more info on how to get a hold of a copy of your bill of sale, and I will be truly appreciative. Thanks in advance for your help! -Kevin Krotzer

I hope so also! Thanks for your concern. The guy who was in front of the car just so happens to drive a green '93 Dodge Shadow (sport edition, so he says... with "road rally suspension," if that's not a joke, I don't know what is!) Anyway, Thanks for your support, the official inspection commences on Saturday, so we'll see what happens from there!

I figured that much, but I also figured that it wouldn't hurt to show them that there is a collector's market for these vehicles. I've had a look around the internet for an appraisal service, and I'm curious about a couple things. First, is it alright to do one of these online thingies where you send in a couple photos and they send you back what they think its worth? Will the insurance accept that? Also, all I can seem to find in comparable condition are brats (no rust, everything works and runs properly.) Since they are GLs and mine is a GL, will they accept them as comps? Thanks! Oh, one more thing. She said that ebay sales don't count, only sales that are from "their" registry (I can't recall what she called it.) I think this might be bogus. I would imagine that ebay is the perfect example of market forces at work, and because of that, would be perfectly acceptable. If there's one thing I learned in Macroeconomics, this is it! What do you guys think?

Yes I did, and thank you. I called her that night, and I arranged to have a look at it the next day, but by the time I had gotten there, someone named Steve had already purchased it for $1700. AHHHHHH it was beautiful too. Perfect in every way.

So I had my first talk with the insurance company today. They claim that it is totaled out.. oh, quite the contrary. Here's what I need from you guys: If you feel comfortable, please post or PM (or even email, kevinkrotzer@comcast.net) your name (full would be preferable) your address, phone number and how much you would pay for an '82 GL wagon in PERFECT CONDITION or how much it would take for you to give up a wagon like mine. If you need photos, have a look at my photo gallery (http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&page=2&sort=1&perpage=12&ppuser=11716&=) Really, what I need, is for people to describe how much they think the car is worth, and I need your info, so I can provide a sort of "petition" to the adjuster when he comes to my house to do battle. I've already found a couple replacements that are well over their value of the car, and I can show these to them, but I would also appreciate any leads that you have on great looking subies. I don't necessarlily want to purchase them, I just want to know what the final sale price on them was to help argue my case. I'm strapping my armor on, I'ts going to be a tough battle, but with proper strategy I can surely win! You guys are the best! Thanks!

100% his fault, absolutely. We had a flare out on the road to prevent this exact situation. There was no reason for him to be travelling at such a high speed. Jeez,I sounded like a blowhard there...

I don't know if I get to drive it or not... I'm not 23 or 24 or whatever the requirement is. I may having to do the ol' family car switcharoo, let my mom drive the rental and I'll drive her crappy van or something. If I do get to drive the rental though, I'll be having some fun with it!

I'm meeting with them on Tuesday, I'll be sure to keep everyone filled in. Thanks for your concern!

The odometer reads 270100, but the motor and tranny are quite a bit less than that. Probably 56000 on the motor and about the same on the tranny. I'll be meeting with the adjuster on Tuesday, and depending on what he says, would you be willing to "put your car on the market" at the price at which you would be willing to sell it? I don't want to steal your baby from you, I just need similiar cars in similiar condition to help me demonstrate the value of these things to the insurance.

It was in the snow, and around a corner. It wasn't slippery prior to the turn, but apparently the turn was. I turned my wheels, and didn't turn at all. I laughed as I crashed into the snow bank, and then cried when the Jeep (clearly out of control) crashed into me in the exact same fashion.

I may actually take you up on that, so thanks! I'm going in there on Tuesday with a head of steam. I'm bustin' heads and taking names- so I'll post it up here, if I need anything of the sort.

He got out of his car, and was like "don't worry, I have good insurance." Thats really all he said. But traffic was building up behind us, and I was hyperventalating, so my friends started trying to get it pulled out. Got out my tow chain and they put it on the little hook on the bottom, and he wrapped it around his bumper (WTF?). End result: Subaru still stuck in snow, Jeep's bumper ended up on the ground. We ended up getting pulled out by the monster snow plow thing. He just chug-a-lugged and pulled me right out of the drift.

It really is.. it really, truly is. I seriously almost cried when I first saw the damage.

Does anyone know of anyplace out of the ordinary that I could go to look for recent sales of similar cars? I've checked ebay, craigslist and auto trader. Anything else?

Where can I find said "past auction" section? I can't seem to find it anywhere!

Thanks for all of the help everyone! Keep it coming, I really like what I'm seeing, and I will be putting it all to work soon enough. This is why I love this place. Everyone here understands this mess and I truly appreciate all of your help! A couple more questions for everyone: Who is it in Spokane that has the beautiful green wagon? If you read this, please let me know, I could really use your help!